


rhythm of your heart

by rannas



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Dancing, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Party, Post-High School, Reunions, background kaito/maki and kaede/kirumi, honestly just an excuse to write a fic with them in the 10th anniversary outfits lets be real, mention of character injury but in the past, only tagging characters with dialogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28808904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rannas/pseuds/rannas
Summary: Hopes Peak Academy is throwing a giant celebration. Kokichi complains but with DICE's help gets pushed into attending. Shuichi is also reluctant but Kaede makes sure he doesn't bail.Both of them wonder what it'll be like to see each other after the circumstances causing them to fall out of touch the past couple of years.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 39
Kudos: 120





	1. plie'

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes on the backstory for this:  
> ... it was contrived to make it an actual 10-year celebration so the idea is that V3 cast is a year behind Naegi's class and in that year before they joined Kirigiri and her dad somehow helped stop all the terrible stuff that happened and Hopes Peak rebranded and rehabilitated (hence Kosei) so it's the anniversary of them celebrating HPA not becoming the epicenter of worldwide disaster as it does in canon. That's about how thought it is though, don't think about it too much. I just wanted it to be actually 10 years later but like where all 3 classes would theoretically be there (so not a typical reunion). So they'd be like 24/25 since it happened before they went to HPA. It's mostly unimportant but just so you know the very loose backstory that I made up for this (aka the 10th anniversary of an event I made up). 
> 
> Tags are a work in progress. Also, summaries are hard.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DICE convinces Kokichi to attend the celebration (not that he's ever been all that good at telling them 'no').
> 
> (plie', plier. to bend.)

Leaving his mail around in DICE’s headquarters was a mistake. Especially since it had that stupid invitation that he was totally going to ignore sitting in it. But ignoring it was no longer an option now that _someone_ had broken the law and gone through his email. But the downside of running an organization that didn’t care about breaking a few rules meant that reminding her of that fact did absolutely nothing to dampen her spirits. 

“C’mon boss you gotta go!” Hearts whined, pigtails bouncing as she jumped around and shoved the overly fancy invitation in his face. Kokichi sunk farther down into the old recliner trying to avoid the paper in his face. 

“Why would I go to a 10-year anniversary celebration of ‘Kosei Day’? Which mind you literally was a day they call some big assembly and told us how the school was saved from some disaster by the principal and his daughter because they stopped some weird experiment and replaced the board and yadda yadda yadda… brand new better Hopes Peak. It was before I got there but kinda shitty all that was going on and they didn’t tell us while they recruited us for the place.”

“Who cares about the details dumbass? A party is a party. Free food and drinks from the nicest damn school in the country, only a fucking moron would turn that down.” another one of DICE chimed in from the couch. 

“Language Shamrock!” Kokichi scolded, putting on his best leader airs but the woman only laughed through a mouthful of caramel popcorn, reached in her pocket pulled out a 500 yen note, and shoved it in an overflowing glass jar by the couch. 

“She’s right it totally doesn’t matter” Hearts continued to jump around, even after all these years she still had endless amounts of energy, “You can see all your friends after all this time, how cool is that? Just like all those movies!”

“You watch way too much cheesy shit on Netflix.” Shamrock countered tossing another bill in the jar without comment. 

Sweeper called out from behind his excessive set-up that seemed to have more monitors and other gadgets every time he looked, “I can hack on to see the RSVP list if ya want!” 

“Oooh, you should. I bet that detective will be there. I miss him he was so nice.” Spider popped into the room and added in his typical soft voice that didn’t match his large stature whatsoever. He returned back to the kitchen before Kokichi could glare at him. 

Kokichi frowned, 4 on 1 seemed a bit unfair. He was lucky the other half of DICE was busy. Even if he was the leader they still wouldn’t hesitate to gang up on him on silly stuff like this. He didn’t have the heart to really shut them down after all. He was growing soft in his old age clearly, “I’m not going to some stupid stuffy Hopes Peak party.” He pouted crossing his arms. 

“Aww but you can dress up! And take pictures!” Hearts clasped her hands together. 

Kokichi rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you go then Hearts? I’m sure you can tooootally pretend to be me all night.”

“I’m like 7 inches taller than you boss.” Hearts replied swiftly with a devilish smirk twirling her blonde hair around her finger.

“How rude! Making your dear leader cry.” Ouma broke into tears. 

His tears didn’t work. Not that he expected them too. The five people in this room knew each other too well after all. Bonded for life and all that. They had been through too much together. Family for life and all that. They even had matching tattoos of the DICE logo to commemorate the fact (small and in discreet locations of course). 

Spider was back in the room now passing out mugs of tea all made to each person’s preferences. “I think you should go.” He told Kokichi softly as he handed him his cup. 

“I really don’t see why you all care so much about this stupid party.” He grumbled as he grabbed his cup and took a sip. Hibiscus with lots of honey, his current favorite. Not as good as soda but it was pretty good. And tea time was a sacred DICE tradition after all, even when they were just kids who put soda in their teacups for tea time. 

“It’s cause we care about you.” Shamrock rolled her eyes dramatically. She must be low on money since the foul language had quit. Not that he really cared if she put money in the jar, at this point it was such a long-running joke everyone just gave her money for the jar and they used it to buy take-out on the weekends.

“Duh-doy! You are totally lying that you don’t wanna dress up and mess with all your old classmates. I know you miss them!” Hearts called out from the table where she and Spider had sat down to drink their tea. 

“Do not!” Kokichi countered. 

Sweeper looked up from the keyboard, his tea was still untouched, “Then why do their names pop up in our search history?” Smug bastard. Of course, he would have been able to see that he _occasionally,_ on rare occasions, might look up his former classmates just to see what they are up to. They were pretty famous as Hope's Peak Academy graduates after all, it was hardly stalking to see if his friends were on the news. 

“Are you spying on me?” Violet eyes narrowed at the hacker but he ignored him and continued typing away at whatever he was doing. How dare he ignore his leader?

“All 15 of your classmates responded to the RSVP.” He confirmed after tapping away. “And now so have you.”

Kokichi shot him a dark look but his mind was already racing. Saihara would be there… _huh…_ how long had it been since he saw him last...

They had a bit of a fun rivalry going right after they graduated. Those were some good years. DICE moved up from harmless pranks to a little bit more showy endeavors. After all, he had to put that Hopes Peak education to good use. And it didn’t hurt that the infamous Detective Saihara was put on the case. So they played cat and mouse for a few golden years. Saihara would always catch him before he did too much damage or stole something a little too valuable but never seemed able to actually catch him. But those stolen moments as he escaped his grasp lived forever in his memories. And as fun, as it would have been to keep that little game going it wasn’t meant to be. 

Saihara got injured on some other case and went on leave and they put the actual police on the DICE case instead of a private investigator. This resulted in some serious de-escalation on DICE’s part the moment one of those damn cops got a little too close to catching one of his underlings. The stunts were fun and all but not worth losing any family over. They were fine going back to minor gigs and graffiti. Plus with the funds, they got from the showier gigs they could afford to let some of DICE enroll in some college classes so some of the members were a little busy. They were all getting older after all so they couldn’t be carefree minor criminals forever. And while Kokichi missed the heydays of DICE, he also was pretty content with their current setup. 

Big crimes were fun but tiring and he was getting older, unfortunately. Being chased around by your high school crush couldn't last forever after all. He just found his fun in smaller gigs and took comfort in the fact his team would stay safe and taken care of. They had their headquarters which was some old apartment building, some of them lived there while the others came and went. There were beds for everyone of course and Sweeper with his excellent hacking skills kept pushing the demolition date back and no one seemed to be the wiser. He had his home and his family, what more could he want? 

But that wasn't the only reason they stopped. Not really. It had a whole lot more to do with Saihara and how his injury was kind of his fault. Actually, he completely blamed himself for Saihara ending up in a situation where he could have died. It had scared him pretty bad when he heard about for the first time. A gunshot wound was pretty serious after all, but luckily it was only his arm and he assumed he’d be okay, at least from what he saw on the news. Kokichi wasn’t brave enough to go visit though. Not when it was his fault he even got hurt. A stupid, awful gang started acting under DICE’s name after they got a little bit of infamy and Saihara got stuck on a mission facing thugs who did not have strict no-murder codes. Even if it wasn't DICE the association that the thugs had made with them had forced Saihara into investigating something he really shouldn't have been. But things could have been a lot worse. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten so big to attract nasty copycat criminals with no standards. But Saihara lived thankfully and it seemed like his arm would heal just fine (according to some snooping he had Sweeper do). He sent him a get-well present to the hospital (well, had DICE sneak it in amongst the piles of flowers and presents already there). It was literally the least he could do. Not that he signed it or anything. Kokichi wasn’t quite sure if Saihara would really want to talk to him after his actions inadvertently got him shot after all. But Saihara was forever the nice guy and even cleared DICE of every violent accusation, even if they were out of the scene and they still had a few lingering minor charges, it was at least a relief to know they would never be linked to bloodshed. He didn't deserve it but at least his team was no longer in danger and didn't have to go into complete hiding. The violent gang was caught and arrested and the police lost interest in DICE after they stopped pulling big heists. A quiet, uneventful life that was, unfortunately, a bit boring at times but a small price to pay for things not going too horribly wrong. 

Kokichi sighed after his long pause, well aware at the four staring at him the whole time waiting for his reaction. “Fine.” Hearts, Spider, and Shamrock cheered and rushed to the table to begin debating on his outfit. Spider had already pulled out a sketchbook. Ouma sighed and collapsed dramatically onto the couch but was ignored, although he was pretty sure he could hear Sweeper’s chuckles from behind the assortment of monitors in the corner. At least this stupid reunion party wouldn’t be boring. And who cared if it meant he'd be face to face with his stupid high school (and after) crush once more? He could handle it. He was the leader of DICE, worthy of being called the Ultimate Supreme Leader, and he was no coward. 

Time slipped away from him and all of a sudden it was the day of the celebration. Kokichi wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It wasn’t like he had zero contact with his classmates. Akamatsu had added him to every stupid group chat she made on every social media platform after all (she clearly thought her class rep duties were supposed to extend past high school). But he usually just ignored it. Only chiming in to mess with Miu or tease Kiibo or send some meme to make the whole group regret him being there. And then he’d vanish for a while again. But that was hardly hanging out. Those first few years he tried, but cooking up elaborate schemes with DICE to trick Saihara monopolized his time, and as time passed the rest of them all got too busy. Gonta traveled the world looking for rare bugs. Momota went to space. Iruma was a hot commodity for once in her life for her inventions and had taken Kiibo along as her assistant. Everyone was busy. And he had DICE after all so it wasn't like he was lonely without his high school friends. But he would be lying if he didn’t miss them a bit. He wasn’t some nostalgic idiot who believed the peak of your life was in high school but he still had some fond memories. And maybe he was a little excited to see them. 

And a little scared. Especially with the detective that he had not talked to in… for almost 2 years. But he couldn’t worry about that. He committed to this whole thing so he had to get ready. Well, Sweeper committed him but whatever. So he got dressed in the suit that Spider had made him while Hearts rubbed gel in his hair and combed. Apparently letting it just go wild and continue to grow messy as he played with it was not appropriate for a formal occasion. Whatever. He can tell in the mirror though he doesn’t look bad. At least he doesn’t think so. Maybe even a bit older. Because despite the fact he was nearing his mid-20s now his baby face and short stature made him look like he was very much still in high school. And despite this being a high school party, he liked the idea of at least looking a little more mature (or something like that). 

As for the suit… well Spider was talented. Kokichi thought his skills rivaled Tsumugi’s honestly. The man was a menace with a sewing machine. His talents really were going to waste now that they didn’t need elaborate costumes for heists anymore. But he did make good money from the online shop Sweeper had set up for him sewing custom outfits for people. And all that work clearly paid off. Kokichi could not even lie and say he looked bad. The white suit fit him perfectly. He could move easily and it didn’t bunch or gap awkwardly at all. The shirt was purple and matched his eyes. He particularly liked the use of the classic DICE checkerboard scarf as a sort of makeshift tie. Dashing and fancy but still very much comfortable, very much his taste. But what else would he expect from someone who’s known him for over a decade now? 

“You look so good boss!” Heart’s squealed at the final result as he paraded around the living area of the hideout. Spider nodded, quiet as ever, but a please smile on his face. 

“My loyal followers sure know how to pamper me.” He said as he turned around looking in the mirror. To which the 10 of them erupted in a cacophony of scoffs and cheers. But mostly compliments and encouragement. The other half of DICE had immediately bought into this whole plan with just as much enthusiasm. Touching really. But as the leader he couldn’t be getting all sappy on them. He was a grown adult after all and somehow this turned into him suddenly having his followers turn into 10 parents all fawning over him before he goes to “prom” or whatever (he really needed to stop letting Hearts rope him into watching cheesy American rom-coms on the hacked Netflix account).

“Hey don’t get my suit dirty!” He mumbled as Clubs gave him a hearty pat on the back. “Alright off I go! Don’t wait up for me!” He called out saluting the group making his way to the door.

“How the hell ya gettin’ there?” Shamrock questioned while another member called out JAR loudly (she grumbled and shoved some yen in the tightly packed jar- they’d have to go out for nice sushi soon).

“Uhh, the train?” Kokichi responded shrugging.

“Ewww you’ll get your suit all dirty on public transportation! After all that hard work we did!” Hearts whined back. 

“It’s not like I can drive!” He countered. Well, he could if he wanted to. Not legally of course. Which probably was not a way to show up to an event run by the most prestigious school in the country (although it did have its merits for being a funny anecdote to toss around once he showed up just to test if people thought it was a lie or not). 

“Just have Big Red drive you.” Sweeper called out from behind the computer, “It’s only 10 minutes if you take backroads and he drives pretty fast.”

“Fineee.” He whined in agreement. Even though he liked the idea of being driven around like some VIP by one of his followers, he had also been looking forward to some time alone to mentally prep himself for seeing his classmates again. Seeing Saihara. “But as the Leader I get to pick the music!” He ran off to the car, bolstered by the best followers a supreme leader could ask for and ready for what the night would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned writing a one-shot on the side which this... kinda is. It's only gonna be 5 short chapters (I think but not super long regardless). It's just a little fun thing because those anniversary outfits were too fun to not do something. And it just felt easier to split it up instead of a longer one chapter fic. I don't know just seemed more organized that way in my mind. 
> 
> Just did random terms/names from various games for DICE code-names hopefully they work well enough for cameo OC's. (mineSWEEPER, SPIDER+SHAMROCK solitaire, BIG RED is a slang bet in craps, card reference the usual)
> 
> Title is a [song title](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YQDddDKz_I&ab_channel=MarianasTrenchVEVO)  
> bc I am basic and I couldn't come up with anything else. 
> 
> I'll add more tags when I add the next chapter for the other characters and some background ships that'll be there but Shuichi and Kaede are in the next one so those are already up.


	2. tourne'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi makes it to the party despite some wardrobe issues
> 
> (tourne', tourner. to turn.)

“Kaede. I’m not going.” Shuichi sighed into his phone, fully knowing that this would not be received well. Kaede had been hyping up this for weeks after all. Even if it wasn’t exactly Shuichi’s kind of thing, he had been at least moderately excited to see everyone. But that was quickly dashed after all the issues he had today. 

She responded, sounding a bit distracted, although she was probably getting ready for the evening, “Huh of course you are. Really Shuichi. Just because it’s a high school event doesn’t mean you need to act like your high school self. That thing about roleplaying our former selves in the group chat was just Tsumugi being Tsumugi you know.”

Shuichi frowned, casting around for the right words, “Yeah, I know. That’s not the issue I just uhhh..”

“Spit it out Shuichi. I still have to finish my makeup.” She sounded somewhat distant, he wondered if he was on speakerphone. At least he was spared having to video call like she usually insisted. He really didn’t want her to see just how embarrassing this whole thing was. 

“I kind of messed up my suit.” Shuichi responded sheepishly. 

“How’d you do that?” Kaede sounded like she was holding back the amusement in her voice.

“Well I was trying on the jacket and it ripped in the back and I kinda panicked and dropped the pants onto a candle. I had to turn off my fire alarm and everything. And now there is a giant rip in the jacket and a burn hole in the pants,” Shuichi explained as quickly as he could so that reliving the whole embarrassing scene wasn’t too painful at least. The remnants of the aforementioned suit on the floor in front of him. His apartment still smelt like burnt clothing, not even the candle could cover that up. Good thing he lived alone, standing in his boxers and socks over the remnants of his old suit was certainly a rather pathetic sight. 

He could hear laughter from the other line, “Oh my god Shuichi I’m sorry. I hope you are okay and nothing burnt but that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard. Only you…”

“Hey…” He argued. It wasn’t as if he was some clutz or anything. Just occasionally unlucky, that was all. Ending up in ridiculous situations just kind of happened, that was all. Of course, he wasn’t usually the one causing them for himself. But he certainly had dealt with his share of ridiculous cases through the years. 

“Your jacket probably just ripped because Kaito has you on that crazy new workout plan silly. Your shoulders have been looking broader.” Kaede commented, he can hear various rustling from the other line. 

Shuichi looked over to the mirror, he couldn’t really see a difference himself. “They have?” He ran his hand over his left arm, there was muscle there he guessed, under the slightly puckered scar from the bullet wound. 

“Yeah. Looking even better with age Shuichi! But back to the subject. Surely you have something else to wear.” Kaede mumbled as if distracted with her own preparations for the evening.

Shuichi frowned, walking back to his closet, “That was my only nice suit… the only other one I have is my uncles.” His uncle had passed a couple years ago and the suit was one of the possessions he had taken after the whole deal. He also had a few of his jackets as well that he wore pretty often but the suit… had never been touched. 

Kaede answered, her voice soft, “Then wear that.” She knew how rough the past two years had been after all. Dealing with the injury and his uncle's passing. 

Shuichi muttered as he looked over the orange and brown suit, “It’s uhh… kinda old fashioned.” 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Kaede cheerily replied back. 

“I guess.” It wasn’t like it wouldn’t be fitting. His uncle was the one who encouraged him to go to Hope's Peak after all. Even after his acceptance, Shuichi had never felt worthy of the title of Detective. Certainly not an Ultimate one. But if he hadn’t gone he would have missed out on so much. Missed out on meeting so many dear friends. So it was thanks to his uncle he even had a party to go to, so maybe wearing something of his would be a nice touch. Even if it was a little… outdated. 

“C’mon just get dressed Shuichi. I’ll go with you to buy another suit sometime, a famous detective really shouldn’t just have one.” He smiled, she always had a way to build him up when he needed it most. 

“I’m not famous… You’re the famous one.” He responded as he pulled the suit off the hanger. 

“We are so not doing this right now. I need to finish getting ready. And you REALLY need to get ready.” Kaede insisted. She paused for a moment and then continued. “I just texted Maki. Her and Kaito are going to pick you up so you don’t try and chicken out. I’d come but I have to go drag my girlfriend away from her work on my way.” 

“You don’t need to do that.” He mumbled. He wasn’t going to actually bail. Not when he knew he would never hear the end of it from his friends. 

“Sure sure. See you tonight Shuichi!” Kaede replied. 

“See ya Kaede.” He hung up and stared at the suit laying out on his couch. It definitely wasn’t his normal style. Darker colors were his go-to. Bright colors attracted attention, peoples gazes. Dark clothes didn’t and he preferred it that way. But surely there would be so many people at this event that it wouldn’t matter. And not just any people. The alumni of Hope's Peak were hardly ordinary people after all. Judging by the extreme personalities he encountered at school he was sure there would be far more eye-catching outfits than this. So there was no need to worry. No need at all.

Examining himself in the mirror, he doesn’t think he looks too bad. Just… different. He brushed his hair. Maki and Kaito would be here soon after all. No need to do anything special with it, not that he really even knew how. After all, he had stuck with one haircut for so long what was the point of changing things up. He wondered if everyone from his class would be there. Kaede seemed sure of it. But he kind of doubted it. Well, he doubted that one of their number would be there. After all, Kokichi Ouma had been increasingly distant the past two years. After all those near misses of chasing him around his petty crimes, he had suddenly just stopped. Fell out of contact. No cryptic notes or glimpses of the leader around anymore. He just dropped out of his life around the time he got shot. Maybe Ouma just didn’t think he was worth playing with anymore. A detective who got shot was not all that good at his job after all. Dealing with rehab and his uncle's death at the time, he never had all that much time to think about it. But truth be told… he really missed him. Ouma was a mystery. One he got closer to solving but never quite succeeded. But would he really come to this? Somehow it didn’t seem like something he would do. There was a knock at the door and he was dragged away from his thoughts. Maki and Kaito were here. 

“Ayy there ya are sidekick! Kaede told us you wanted to bail? As if I wouldn’t come here and drag ya out!” Kaito punched his fist against his hand. He was wearing a dark suit with a purple tie, stars emblazoned on the collar. He still only had one arm through his jacket, that clearly had never changed. And he had gone back to his high school ways of gelling his hair up. The years had only made him more handsome. 

“You look really good Kaito!” Shuichi responded.

“I guess,” Maki muttered walking in behind him. Her hair was down for once. Her dress was red with a white skirt, a red flower pin in her hair. She was looking nervously at the floor, a blush creeping across her face. The formal clothes softened her some but her red eyes were intense as ever. 

“You look really nice too Maki.” He grinned at her. 

“Hell yeah she does! Maki-Roll is a real knockout.” Kaito beamed, and she punched him in the arm. He tried to play it off like it didn’t hurt but Shuichi could see him wincing. “And you… well, it’s a different look but I like it! Very detective-like!” 

“Oh uhh, thanks.” Shuichi looked at the ground embarrassed.

“It was your uncle's right?” Maki’s gaze looked him over intensely, Shuichi nodded. “It fits you well.” She remarked. Even without words, he can feel her support. She knew what his uncle had meant to him. Even if comfort wasn’t her strong suit she was extremely understanding, that’s why kids liked her so much after all. 

“Alright, gang let’s get a move. Time to party!” Kaito wrapped his arms around them both and led them to the door. Of course, he had to let go there since they didn’t fit through the door like that but as silly as it was his enthusiasm was contagious enough. Even if he didn’t really care too much for parties or large gatherings, it would be alright if his friends were there. 

The celebration was in a large ballroom in a fancy hotel. It was extremely crowded. If he were still in high school he would have immediately bailed to hide but he was older now and even though the sight made his heart race and palms sweat a bit, he knew he could handle it. He scanned the crowd. No sight of Kaede yet but that was to be expected. Tearing Kirumi away from her duties was no easy task after all. But if anyone was up to it, it was Kaede. Kaito led them to the bar ordering a beer for the three of them. One he knew all three of them were partial to when he managed to get Maki and Shuichi to go out with him (they only ever agreed when it was a special occasion). It wasn’t his drink of choice but it was decent. They clinked their glasses together and drank. He scanned the crowd. Still no Kaede (Still no Kokichi). 

The warm buzz of one beer was enough to make socializing in this sort of situation a little less painful. So they split up and greeted some of their old friends. Shuichi complimented Kiibo on his very Japanese style get-up, which made the robot blush deeply. They talked for a while about the venture he and Miu had been on lately as he helped her show off her inventions to the world. After, he grabbed another drink and talked with Ryoma for a bit. Apparently, he had been teaching tennis to troubled teens. Shuichi looked at pictures of his cats and they chatted for a while before he went to greet some of the others. The worries about his uncle's suit mostly forgotten at this point. He greeted Kirigiri and discussed some of their recent cases together. However, she and Naegi were quite the commodity as lots of their classmates come over to talk to them so the detective talk had lots of awkward pauses. It gave him time to wave at some of his other friends and scan the room at least. He excused himself and once again scanned the room, wondering if Kaede and Kirumi ever made it. 

Shuichi looked over to the bar. Two figures were standing by it currently. A blonde with her hair up in a high ponytail and a blinding hot pink dress. Easy to recognize with her typical bright pink and sunglasses on her head instead of her usual goggles… and next to her. A sight that he hated to admit made his chest leap. A familiar man. His dark hair slicked back more than normal, but he’s pretty sure even in this lighting that the tips were still colored purple. He was wearing a white suit and white vest over a purple shirt that probably matched his eyes and his tie looked just like that scarf he used to always wear. He looked a little older but still super youthful. Kokichi Ouma. So he had come. From what he can tell from their body language, he and Miu had resumed ribbing at each other just like in the old days. Maybe he had kept in touch with the others and just not him… 

He should go find someone else to talk to, maybe check in on Maki and Kaito but he can’t help but stay in that same spot with his eyes glued to Ouma. Wondering if he should go say something. Would he even want him to? He fiddled with the fabric of his pants. He realized that his staring must be pretty obvious when violet eyes shot over to him, a strange sort of look on his face. Shuichi quickly looked away, but he was sure he was too late. Now it would be way more awkward if he didn’t say anything. So he had to right? 

Near the door he saw Kaede pulling in Kirumi excitedly, the pianist in a modern-looking bright pink dress that suited her perfectly and the maid in a bit more old fashioned garb, dark purple and teal and a hat on her head. The hat doesn’t hide the warm smile on her face though. He smiled, they really were a cute couple. And Kaede was so happy, even if it meant having to pull her girlfriend away from work at times. And now that they were here he could have an escape, he could go talk to him and ignore that whole awkward moment with Kokichi…

Or not. Not anymore because out of the side of his vision, the man in the white suit was now approaching him with drinks in hand and the hint of a smile on his face. Shuichi swallowed nervously and waved awkwardly as he approached. _Yeah… real smooth…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for giving Shuichi all the implied angst with the shooting and his uncle, it's not really the focus of this so it's not getting super heavy or anything no worries he's doing well. More just part of the story because being an adult means rough stuff happens and life can kind of get away from you when it does.


	3. elance'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Shuichi reunite before being pushed to the dance floor. 
> 
> (elance', elancer. to dart.)

As usual Hope's Peak had spared no expense for this party. Kokichi seriously wondered just how the hell they stayed afloat when they constantly did stuff like this. Not that it was any of his business. There were buffets of food, sushi as far as the eye could see, and an open bar. Maybe he could figure out a way to sneak some of it back to DICE…. He munched on some of the deserts from the spread as he made his way around the party. Some familiar faces, some not. Rantaro waved him down; he chatted for a bit, lying egregiously about his recent activities. But Rantaro was as nonplussed as ever as Kokichi waxed on about a bunch of stuff that didn’t really happen, he just chuckled and commented that he was the same as ever. Tsumugi ran over and started squealing over their outfits which Kokichi endured for a moment before sliding away and going to the bar. Where he found the perfect person to keep him occupied. Good ole Miu was perfect for bantering with. He ordered some sweet cocktail and the two began bashing each other as well as making snide comments about some of the more… questionable outfit choices they saw. Kokichi enjoyed the ease that he slid into that familiar back and forth with Miu even if it’s been a while. The party wasn’t so bad at least, he wouldn’t have to punish his subordinates for ganging up on him and making him go to this thing. 

He lost track of the insults he was throwing at Miu. It was pretty hard to think when he noticed Shuichi staring right at him from like 5 meters away. Funny how after how many ever years since they first met… Shuichi Saihara still was able to surprise him. For once he wasn’t blending into the background with some doom and gloom black or navy get up. It looked… kinda old fashioned actually. Some sort of orangey-brown get-up which seemed to make his golden eyes stand out even more. He doesn’t really get fashion like Spider did but something about the long tail on the suit and the plaid vest was just so… eye-catching in an extremely dorky kinda way. He looked like a detective from a story, not like all the boring real-life ones that just wore plain old suits. And he wasn’t sure if the suit was just large on him, but it looked like Shuichi’s shoulders were broader than he remembered. He couldn’t look away even though Shuichi had nervously darted his own eyes away the moment Kokichi had looked up. Interesting. Of course, he completely lost track of whatever it was that Miu was going on about and she was now staring him down. 

She punched him lightly on the arm, “Whoa earth to Cock-itchity! Did your shrimp dick short circuit your brain?”

“Huh, what did you say dumb bitch? Sorry, but I can’t hear whores.” He sneered, rubbing his arm dramatically even though it didn’t hurt at all. 

Her eyes darted to and from the direction that Kokichi was gazing off into and her whole face lit up into a positively evil grin, “Oh, no fucking way. Now, this is rich!”

Kokichi pursed his lips, “What are you going on about you trashy skank?”

Miu laughed loudly, “Pooichi. Really?”

“Who?” Kokichi responded haughtily. 

Miu shook her head, ponytail bouncing, “Your twink ass hasn’t changed at all has it!?”

Kokichi looked down at his nails, “I have no idea what you are talking about skank.” 

Miu rolled her eyes and took a large swig of her drink, “You lusted over that damn guy in high school and instead of just banging him and getting over it, you told him to keep his eye on you or some dumb gay shit like that.”

Kokichi bit his lip. Miu wasn’t entirely off the mark. Sometime around graduation, Shuichi had asked him if they would see each other after high school. And instead of confessing or something normal, he told Shuichi to ‘keep chasing him if he really wanted to learn more about him.’ Or something like that. It was dramatic and definitely part of the reason post-graduation he made sure to put DICE in enough of a spotlight to catch the attention of a certain detective. Of course, it worked but Miu was right about one thing that certainly didn’t help him get over his feelings. Instead, every little encounter at some crime scene only made it that much worse. So bad that even almost 2 years later, here he was feeling that annoying familiar tugging in his chest at the sight of him. 

“Haha got you speechless. Gorgeous girl geniuses like me are never wrong after all.” Miu smiled cockily as Kokichi glared in response, Well ya better go talk to old man suit Shyhara over there or just go to the bathroom and play with yourself the rest of the night. I don’t care either way, I need to go find Kiibo.” Before he could come up with some sort of retort or insult to throw back she had disappeared into the crowd. 

He bit down on his thumbnail. Well, he was here so why not? He ordered an extra drink. Whiskey seemed boring enough for Shuichi’s tastes. Something that grizzled detectives liked. Nothing like the crazy and wild sweet cocktails that Kokichi preferred. It matched the whole super old school vibe Saihara had going on with that suit at least (all he needed was a magnifying glass in one hand and a pipe and the look would be complete). 

Kokichi slid up to where Shuichi was standing, “So what is my dearest detective doing in a place like this?”

“The celebration we were all invited to?” Shuichi questioned, giving him an appraising sort of look that made his stomach flop around. How long had it been since he had seen Saihara’s ‘I am trying to figure you out’ stare on him? 

Kokichi shoved over the drink to Shuichi who accepted it despite raising his brows in surprise. He gave a fake yawn, “Oh is that what this is? I just showed up to rob the place after all.”  
  
“Really? Thought you didn’t do that anymore.” Shuichi took a sip, a small sort of smile on his lips.

Kokichi frowned, “Why would Shuichi Saihara know what I am up to these days?”

“My file on DICE hasn’t been updated in a couple of years,” Shuichi responded, somewhat reserved.

Kokichi laughed, “Guess you aren’t that good of a detective then. Can’t believe I almost let someone like you almost catch me once.”

“Several times.” Shuichi corrected. 

“If you say so. I think your memory might be broken.” Kokichi teased, tapping his finger on his chin. 

“No. I remember it all very well.” Shuichi responded, far too seriously, his stare intense. 

“So do I,” Kokichi responded quietly, transfixed in the shared eye contact for a moment. Switching back to a more light-hearted tone before his whole body combusted he teased again, “But I thought you like lost your arm or something. But lookie it’s still here.” Kokichi grabbed at the arm that wasn’t holding his drink. He does not miss that he can definitely feel muscle through the layers of the suit. Nor does he miss the hint of red on the detective’s cheeks as he does that either. 

“Umm.. It was this arm.” He lifted his right arm which was holding the drink, “There’s still a scar from the bullet but it’s all healed now. Kaito was pretty strict about my rehab so…” He trailed off, eyes knit together as if remembering something but whatever it was he doesn’t elaborate. 

“So Shuichi is all jacked now huh?” Kokichi attempted to joke. But it came out half hearted. It was easier joking about all this. Not having to be all real about how he really felt. Not having to admit how damn guilty he felt about the whole deal. He wondered if that’s why Shuichi was shying back. He should have figured that he hadn’t completely forgiven him for that whole ordeal. 

“Not really I just…” That pinched look intensified. But it doesn’t look angry or anything. Not like he’s mad at Kokichi about it. Shuichi was always so hard to read, hard to figure out. There was definitely something going on there. But Kokichi wasn’t really sure how to prod it out of him. But he was definitely weirdly embarrassed about the whole thing, which was very cute. Especially if it meant that he wasn’t actually mad at him for the whole gunshot ordeal (even though he should be). 

“Nishishi. I missed shy and flustered Shuichi. It’s so funny when your face gets all--” Kokichi imitated the scrunched up look on Shuichi’s face as exaggeratedly as he could. 

To his surprise, Shuichi laughed. The sound was light and pleasant, like the melody of a song you just couldn’t get out of your head. “I missed you too Kokichi.” 

He shrugged, “Of course you did. I’m sure your life has been boring without a supreme leader of evil to keep you in check.” 

“Something like that.” There was something weirdly wistful in Shuichi’s tone. He shouldn’t read into but… it still made his heart beat a little too fast. He sipped from his drink and hoped that would just stop before he did something stupid. 

Thankfully a familiar voice called out, “There you are! That suit’s not bad at all Shuichi. It’s a little old I guess but it’s kinda charming on you!” Kaede ran over, engulfing Shuichi in a large hug and beaming at him. For a moment, Kokichi wondered if the two of them had gotten back together. They had dated back at Hope's Peak before amicably calling it off. But he wouldn’t have been all that surprised if they got back together. Even if it always made him a bit jealous, he couldn’t deny they seemed to work well together. 

Behind Kaede, another familiar face followed. Kirumi gave a slight bow of her head, “Agreed. You look quite handsome Shuichi.” Kokichi watched as Kaede interlocked her fingers with Kirumi’s gloved ones and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, causing the maid to flush (a sight Kokichi had never seen). So… that was how it was. He hated that he felt a little too much joy at the fact that Akamatsu had come here with Tojo and not Saihara. 

“Uhh, thanks Kirumi.” Shuichi rubbed at his head. Still couldn’t take a compliment clearly.

“Whoa! Even mom came!” Kokichi clenched his fists and bounced excitedly. 

“Are you really still going to call me that Kokichi?” Kirumi shook her head but she looked happy enough. Perhaps she was having way too nice of a night to be annoyed by his antics like the old days. 

“Uh huh. And woooow of course Kayayday is here. This kinda cheesy group stuff is totally your style after all.” Kokichi smirked. 

Kaede laughed, “It’s good to see you Kokichi. I didn’t think you’d come. You hardly ever respond to messages anymore!” Kokichi was about to lie and make up some ridiculous reason to why he never bothered to reply to the silly group message Kaede made but before he could she wrapped him up in a hug as well. “You look so good too! That suit is amazing!” 

Kokichi sputtered, “Ugh gross.” It was nice though. Kaede did give pretty decent hugs. Nothing on DICE’s group hugs but it would do. But it was warm and she smelled nice, like flowers. 

“Oh, whatever. You two need to come dance! Everyone else is!” Kaede pulled back looking around excitedly at the group. 

“But-” Shuichi shuffled awkwardly. 

“Nope! No buts! If you are still standing here the next time I look I will drag you out myself.” Kirumi chuckled as Kaede put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. The blonde then pulled on her girlfriend’s hand and dragged her off to the dance floor where a large number of people had congregated. He could see pockets of his classmates and upperclassmen he had met during his Hope’s Peak days among the large group. Shuichi was staring at the dance floor as if examining it for clues. 

“So are you gonna go dance?” Kokichi looked over at Shuichi. 

“I mean… I probably have to. Otherwise, Kaede…” He trailed off. 

Kokichi leaned over to him, his voice playful, “I definitely want to see Shuichi’s dorky dance moves.” 

“What?” Shuichi’s golden eyes widened. 

“Well unless my dearest detective has a date he has been neglecting to talk to little old me.” Kokichi pouted. 

“I don’t. I’m not dating anyone so I-- I came here alone. Well, Maki and Kaito drove me but I came by myself.” Shuichi responded and Kokichi ignored the way his heart leapt a bit at that. That meant he was single right? Not that it mattered but… 

“Perfect.” Shuichi tilted his head and Kokichi grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor. 

Some sort of peppy pop song was playing. It sounded vaguely familiar. Kokichi thought it might be one of Maizono’s idol group's old songs. Shuichi stiffly sort of bounced around to the beat and Kokichi cracked up laughing. He grabbed his wrists and forced him along to the beat. Shuichi slowly loosened up and started laughing. It was some pretty miserable dancing but it was fun. And it wasn’t like anyone was paying them any mind. The center of the floor had become a hot spot for some of the more athletic and showy alumni to show off their dance moves. So it really didn’t matter how absolutely dorky it was as they bounced around to rhythm, Kokichi throwing in some random moves he picked up from dance games that he played with DICE, which amused Shuichi so much he pulled out more and more ridiculous ones. Including failing to do some sort of Russian kick move that put him on the floor near the end of the song. He got up and they laughed. Shuichi’s cheeks were flushed, he wondered if that was just from the alcohol or maybe… 

The music changed. A much slower, romantic sort of song was played. Some people left the dance floor and the area was now littered with couples. Kokichi was ready to turn and leave as well until he saw Shuichi looking right at him with his hand outstretched. And now he could feel the heat rising in his own cheeks. He’s pretty sure time was messing with him too because it seemed to take forever as he slowly reached his own hand out to meet Shuichi’s. He was pulled in, Shuichi’s other hand wrapped around his shoulders and Kokichi let his arm snake around Shuichi’s wasit and rest on the small of his back. They were… very close and Kokichi wondered if the ridiculous fluttering of his heart could be heard by the other boy or if he could tell that Kokichi's body was overheating so much he could only hope he wasn't sweating through Spider's creation (the fabric was extremely breathable of course, that man would never leave ignore such a detail). He blinked up at the detective, Shuichi just smiled sweetly in return and they began to move. 

All the confidence Shuichi lacked during the peppy pop song seemed to have been saved up for the slow song now blaring through the reception hall. Because before Kokichi even recognized it, Shuichi had taken the lead. He was just following the steps they were taking. Simple and to the rhythm and mostly just sort of stepping and swaying but it still felt like they were in one of Heart’s cheesy movies. And… he really didn’t mind so much at all. All he could do was watch Saihara, the colored lights reflecting off of his pale skin. And when the song began to wind down, Shuichi let go of his hand, reached around his back, and leaned in and suddenly Kokichi fell back into his arms. Head falling back as he was dipped by Shuichi. It was only a few inches but felt as big as a huge drop on a roller coaster the way his heart seemed to jump as he dropped. The song ended and Shuichi pulled him up, the momentum causing his head to collide into Shuichi, his face now nestled in his chest. Which was nice because at least he couldn’t see how flushed his face was after… that, but also nice because he could hear the steady rhythm of the other man's heart. 

They pulled away, but Kokichi still hadn’t caught his breath. Shuichi moved his hands off his back and to his side and the two of them just stood in place as another peppy pop song began to play. Neither of them seemed to pay it any mind. 

“You look really nice tonight Kokichi.” Shuichi was staring at him again with one of those expressions he just can’t get a good read on. But nor was this a good place for it. Not with the commotion going on a few yards away with Nekomaru loudly encouraging what he thinks is a breakdancing competition. But even that couldn’t break their focus on each other, the loud sounds of the party around them irrelevant as the air between them was hung with something that made Kokichi’s heart race even faster. 

Kokichi bit back a lie. Bit back telling Shuichi he looked awful and laughing. Even if that was what was easier, familiar. Because even if he looks a little dorky in that old fashioned orange thing, Kokichi was pretty sure Shuichi would have to try to look bad. “Shuichi doesn’t look so bad himself. And that’s no lie.” Shuichi’s lips part as if surprised. It reminded him of those days… when he would catch Kokichi just at the right moment before he vanished from the scene of his latest crime. 

And that familiar rush, the one he hadn’t felt for a couple of years (not since his last real heist), came over him. And even if his heart was racing, he was going to chase down this moment like a prized treasure. And while he loved a good audience, this was not the time for it. With a wide smile, he wrapped his hand around Shuichi’s and pulled him off, rushing through the crowded ballroom and out into the hallways of the hotel. The glimmer of confusion and curiosity in Shuichi’s eyes met with his own wild laughter as he pulled him along, garnering some strange looks from the staff but no one stopped them. 


	4. releve'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi drags Shuichi to the balcony and they talk. 
> 
> (releve', relever. to rise.)

Shuichi didn’t think he had all that much to drink. Three drinks definitely should not have made him feel like his head was spinning as much as it was that's for sure. But ever since Kokichi walked up to him, he felt lightheaded. It wasn’t as awkward as he expected. Bantering with Kokichi had always been easy enough. Frustrating occasionally, but he always kept him on his toes. He didn’t mind that. He actually really missed it. He wasn’t expecting them to end up dancing together, but he doesn’t mind that so much either. His cheeks hurt from smiling as Kokichi continued to bust out all sorts of strange moves as some fast-paced song he’s never heard played through the venue. And slowly this warm fondness crept through him, just like being intoxicated but with a little more clarity of mind. And it mixed with the alcohol to create a strange sort of feeling that anything could happen. 

So when the music slowed to a slower tempo and couples began to pair off, something took over. He reached out his hand, and to his surprise, Kokichi took it. And when he pulled him in close that pleasant spinning sensation increased. Unlike fast songs, slow dancing was easier for his mind to process. Fast songs were all about being impromptu and expressing emotion, all about improvisation, things he associated with Kokichi (and no wonder he excelled at it, even when goofing off). But slow dancing was different. Simple, predictable. Patterns and rhythms, things a detective understood. And his confidence only swelled with those violet eyes rapt on his own. It was better than any drink, a shot of something far more electrifying than alcohol. And maybe that’s why he felt the surge of boldness to dip Kokichi as the song came to an end. Entranced as his dark hair flew back and eyes flew open, the lights illuminating his face and Shuichi can’t help but think how beautiful he looked up close. Without the music his assertiveness waned and found himself just stuck in a trance as the music picked up around them, searching for the right words to say. 

But now Kokichi had taken the lead, his small warm hand wrapped around his own as they ran through the hallways of the hotel. Disapproving glances were thrown their way but they were moving too quickly for Shuichi to throw apologetic smiles in their direction, not while he was also trying his best to stay upright (being pulled along by someone several inches shorter than you was not the easiest position to be in). They turn through the halls, climb up some stairs, but Shuichi has never been to this hotel before and quickly loses all sense of direction. He wondered if Kokichi even knew where they were going because at some point he thought they passed a vase he had seen before. Luckily, as his legs started to tire Kokichi seemed to have found whatever he was looking for. Doors out to a balcony area. They are unlocked (although he doubted that mattered much to Kokichi, but Shuichi would rather not get in trouble with hotel staff at an event like this). 

The cool air meets them as they walk out onto the balcony. The November night was chilly but not cold. It was actually rather refreshing after being in the hall with all those bodies. There’s an assortment of fancy plants and a few cafe tables and chairs but mostly empty space. They are several floors up and can see the traffic of the city below them. The stars are shining along with a crescent moon hanging above them. The lights aren’t on outside but the lighting of the city and the sky was enough to illuminate them both in a soft sort of light. Kokichi dropped his hand and walked over to the edge, leaning against the railing. 

“So… uh… why did you take me here Kokichi? Did you know about this balcony?” Shuichi questioned, joining Kokichi near the railing. 

Kokichi was holding his face in his hands so he could barely see the sly smile on his face, “I’m kidnapping you, duh. After all these years I finally got you detective, all according to plan!”

Shuichi played along, “Oh so this was the plan? Lull me into a false sense of security by dropping off the radar until now?”

“Something like that,” Kokichi mumbled. “Or maybe I just wanted you all to myself before someone else snatched you away. I hear dorky detectives are a hot commodity at events like this.”

“Ah…” Shuichi responded. He was unsure how to respond to be completely honest. Something about this moment between them seemed so delicate, fragile, like glass that could shatter at any moment. Joking but also being weirdly serious all at once. “Well, I guess I don’t mind then.”

“Ohh so you like being kidnapped? That’s pretty hardcore Shuichi, I didn’t realize you got so kinky in your old age.” Kokichi laughed mischievously. 

“That's not what I---” Shuichi tried to argue but was swiftly interrupted. 

“Nishishi, don’t worry. Its a lie. You’ll never know the real reason I stole you away to this balcony. It’s definitely not because I feel like I should apologize to you or anything.” Kokichi voice trailed off, his face now blank as he stared out into the night. 

“Apologize?” Shuichi leaned against the railing as well. 

“For this.” Kokichi brushed his hand against his right arm, softly as if still worried it would hurt him (it wouldn’t, the injury was long since healed). The delicate touch made his skin buzz even through his suit. 

“But that’s not your fault? You didn’t shoot me.” Shuichi countered. 

“Would you have been on that case if it weren’t for DICE?” Shuichi frowned and shook his head. Kokichi sighed. “Exactly.”

“Well, I don’t blame you.” Shuichi looked over, but Kokichi was not meeting his eyes. 

“I never heard from you after that.” Kokichi continued. 

Shuichi paused, “You never called either Kokichi.”

“I sent you a present.” Kokichi lifted his head off of his hands and began to drum his fingers over the black railing. 

“You did?” Shuichi tried to remember, but that whole time was such a blur. Had he really gotten something and just ignored it? No wonder Kokichi thought he blamed him.

“Mmmhmm to the hospital right after…. Y’know.” He shrugged. 

“I didn’t know.” Shuichi put his hand on Kokichi’s arm, and his fingers still in response.

Kokichi’s eyes darted to his hand, but he didn’t pull away, he just muttered, “To be fair I didn’t sign it.”

“Then….” Shuichi shook his head. “I should have reached out… it’s just my uncle was real sick at the time and he… passed away. It kinda took a bit for me to talk to anyone at all.”

Kokichi finally looked over, his face drawn, “I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” Shuichi shook his head. 

Violet eyes narrowed in response, “I don’t really have uncles or parents or anything like that so I can’t imagine what it was like but don’t lie and say stupid lies like it’s fine Shuichi. Death isn't 'fine' and you should know that. So don't lie. You know how I hate liars.”

“Right…” Shuichi was once more unsure of what to say. The strange combo of harshness and kindness in Kokichi’s words was too difficult to respond to. An awkward silence hung between them. 

“I guess I have another thing to apologize for now.” Kokichi turned away from the railing to face him. 

His hand slid off of Kokichi’s arm, “Huh?”

“Sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed it. Or maybe it was better I wasn’t. I’m not really the comforting type.” The playful sadness in the other man's voice made his chest ache.

“You’re comforting me right now.” He responded with a small smile. 

Kokichi’s eyebrows shot up, “You have very low standards mister detective if this qualifies as comfort to you.”

“You’re here. That’s enough.” He reached over again, grabbing Kokichi’s wrists and lifting them slightly. Even if he didn’t have the right words, he wanted him to know that his presence was more than enough.

The other man’s cheeks reddened, more than what he would expect from just the cold air alone, “You can’t just say sappy stuff like that and expect me to…”

“Expect you to what?” Shuichi tilted his head. 

“Nothing.” Kokichi breathed out before pulling his hands out of Shuichi's light grasp, “So are you doing better now? I’ve missed having my greatest rival on my case.”

“Yeah… I am. I mean the wound is completely healed now, did lots of rehab to make sure there weren't any lasting effects. I can’t even feel it anymore, there’s just a scar left. And my uncle, well I miss him. Some days more than others but I’m good. I promise.”

“Well, that's good. Can’t let the world be without your famous detective skills after all. Whatever would we do without Detective Saihara on the case?” They both laugh and fall into silence and turned once more to lean against the railing and look up at the night sky. 

“I’m… really glad you came tonight Kokichi. I was kind of worried you wouldn’t” Shuichi finally broke the brief moment of quiet, his voice soft on the night air. 

“Eh, free food and drinks. How could I resist?” Kokichi joked. 

Shuichi teased in return, “You aren’t really taking much advantage of that out here though.”

“Clever as always Shuichi. But it’s not so bad out here right?” Kokichi turned and looked at him, watching him like a puzzle he was trying to solve. 

Shuichi shook his head, “No… I’m glad we got to talk. I meant it earlier when I said I really missed you.” 

Multiple emotions flashed across the other’s face, too fast for Shuichi to process, “I’m supposed to be the thief Shuichi. So stop.”

“Stop what?” Shuichi asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. Had he said something wrong? The other man looked like he was debating something, chewing his lip and fidgeting before all of sudden going completely still. 

Kokichi turned to him, leaning in with a half-smile, so close he could feel his warm breath as he spoke barely louder than a whisper, “Trying to steal my heart.” 

“I---” Kokichi put a finger to his lips to shush him. Shuichi blinked rapidly, trying to process what he had said. It made sense of course. That fondness he felt, that warmness… but he never tried to impose, to force those feelings on Kokichi. But maybe… that meant he actually felt the same? 

“Just… dance with me again!.” Kokichi demanded, stepping away from the railing and holding out his hands. 

“But there’s no music?” Shuichi questioned. 

Kokichi pursed his lips. “I’ll hum something.”

“But--” Kokichi flashed him a menacing look and he stopped trying to argue, better to just play along. See where this took him. Follow the bizarre trail of clues.“Okay.” So he took his hands and they slid into place once more. The coldness of the night completely forgotten with the warmth of another body pressed against his own. They swayed along to some unknown rhythm in the night. No words needed. Kokichi didn’t actually hum, just pressed his head against his chest as they turned around the empty area of the balcony. And maybe there was just something about dancing like this that caused Shuichi to feel a strange surge of courage because once more he caught himself improvising. He pulled his arm off Kokichi’s shoulder, gripping on the hand in his own, and pushed, spinning the man under his arm. Joyful and surprised laughter rang out through the night. Their hands slipped apart as he spun. But Shuichi pulled him back in, wrapping his hands around his waist, Kokichi in turn lifted himself up and wrapped his own arms loosely around Shuichi’s shoulders. 

And now that he can see him fully, there were no questions. No deductions to be made. Stars reflected in those wide eyes as he leaned in slowly, pressing his lips lightly against the others before slightly moving back. The arms around his neck squeeze and pull him back in. Slow and searching their lips move, chaste and sweet, before pulling back still only inches apart. 

“You’re doing it again.” Kokichi breathed out in the tiny space between them. 

“Again?! we’ve never-” Shuichi whispered in return, trailing off. 

He watched as the lips he had just felt under his own pouted out as Kokichi shook his head slightly, dark hair bouncing as he did, “Stupid Shuichi keeps making me fall for him.” 

“Oh.” His own lips turn up in response, “Well, then you are guilty as well.”

“Me? Guilty? What this time Shumai? What awful crimes are you accusing me of now my beloved detective?” Kokichi teased his voice a low growl that amplifies that warmness into something far more intense. 

“I think you know.” Shuichi knew in any other situation he would be far too embarrassed to play along. But the dancing and alcohol had conveniently pushed those anxieties to the side. Silenced by the warm and pleasant buzz of adrenaline. Just like he felt when chasing him down all those years ago. 

Violet eyes glimmered with coy defiance, “Say it.”

“Stealing my heart.” And they close the space between them once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so embarrassingly cheesy and sappy I'm sorry (maybe). Thinking 3 more short little chapters to wrap up this ridiculously gratuitous fluff.


	5. saute'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DICE and Miu help ease some of Kokichi's worries. 
> 
> (saute', sauter. to jump.)

Kokichi was not so sure what he was expecting when he dragged Shuichi out to that balcony. He wasn’t even aware there was one. It just worked out that way. Maybe his real talent was luck after all. Of course, he could have just gone to the roof if the whole balcony thing hadn’t worked out so well in his favor. It's easier for some reason in the open air, talking about things like emotions. Like those overwhelming feelings had room to spread and expand and were all trapped within walls or ceilings. It’s not logical but he didn’t really care. This little balcony was perfect, he didn’t even need to bust out the lockpicks he always kept in his socks (for the best he was a bit rusty). 

But whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t this. It wasn’t Shuichi being all bold and alluring as they stood in the darkness. Of course, he had seen him confident and assertive before, he always pulled that side out when tracking him down in those heists. But Shuichi really was never boring. He never could totally figure him out and he hated just how much he liked that about him. Because standing so close, blanketed in starlight, only made his heartbeat even faster and his chest swell with emotion. In some ways he felt 17 again, panicking at every stupid little smile, every glance that lasted a little too long. 17-year-old Ouma would have never made it this far though. No, if there had been a school dance or something like that he would have bolted the moment Shuichi held out his hand when that slow song started playing. 17-year-old Ouma might have dragged him to a balcony but he also would have bolted the moment Shuichi started getting all touchy. 17-year-old Ouma would never believe that eight years later they’d be kissing on some convenient balcony under the moonlight. 

But they were and when they crash back into each other after sort of maybe confessing feelings, he’s kind of glad he’s not 17 and stupid. He’s well enough into his 20’s that it doesn’t have to be awkward and hesitant. The benefit of not being a teenager meant being able to enjoy every moment, to know what he was doing, to really appreciate the lack of bumping noses and clashing teeth. As much as he might have wanted to kiss him back then in those halcyon high school days, he definitely was glad he had done this before and the benefit of a little experience. Because of that, he was ready when Shuichi's teeth tugged lightly on his lower lip, that he wasn’t embarrassed at the slight moan that came out when he did. That he actually took full advantage and deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into the other's mouth and enjoying the hum of satisfaction from the other as he did. Shuichi’s thumbs dug into his waist as Kokichi tangled his fingers in Shuichi’s hair as they continued to deepen the kiss. Like the dance, it was slow and deliberate and took his breath away.

His brain had lost any sense of time when they finally pulled back, lips red and swollen and wet in the cold night air. Shuichi’s eyes golden in the moonlight are on him, his mouth still slightly parted. And part of him wanted to so badly pull him back in, turn this into something fast and desperate and full of desire and hints of just how far he was willing to take this night. Heated and full of tempo completely the slow dance of a makeout from before. But even though he’s not a teenager anymore, he’s still scared. Scared that this was just born of impulse and alcohol. Shy and awkward he may be but he also knew how Shuichi Saihara could get way too wrapped up in things. That’s what made him so surprising after all, so damn hard to figure out. Maybe he was just going along with the night. Kissing people at parties was hardly strange after all, and he could clearly taste the alcohol on his tongue so it wasn’t too far of a stretch to imagine this was just Shuichi letting loose and playing along with their usual banter. 

Kokichi had always been a contradictory sort of person, both impulsive and an overthinker. Doubts came crashing into his mind as he blinked up at the detective, “We should go back… it’s kinda cold. My fingers might freeze and fall off.” He whined jokingly, pulling away his arms and stepping back. He was the opposite of cold so it was a lie. Even after separating, his body still felt close to overheating from that impromptu balcony makeout he never expected to happen. 

“Yeah. Sorry. We should get back to the party.” Shuichi smiled softly, blissfully unaware of the churning of his own thoughts at least. He walked over to the door and held it open for him. Polite. Kokichi threw his hands behind his head masking any doubts with a wide grin as they reentered the hotel. Even if being cold was a lie, the heat did feel nice even if being back inside meant the thoughts bouncing around felt claustrophobic in his own head once more as if the walls around him trapped them inside. Shuichi looked around and scratched his head, “So uh how do we get back?”

“No idea!” He replied with a carefree shrug. Not a lie. He was not paying all that much attention when he dragged him here but surely they could look at the room numbers and figure it out. They were smart. But before it could become a game, Shuichi waved down an employee and asked kindly the best way to get back to the main reception hall. Kokichi pouted, how boring. But then again endlessly wandering the halls of a hotel wasn’t probably the best use of time. Luckily getting back turned out to be far less convoluted than the path Kokichi had taken them on up to the balcony. 

So they made it back, music still playing loud pouring into the hall outside. “Ready?” Shuichi smiled again and his heart started jumping around all over again. And as much as he wanted to reach out and grab his hand and just spend the rest of the night wrapped in his arms, part of him was still worried that whatever just happened meant nothing, and that tomorrow morning he’d wake up and just be left with the memory of that moment on the balcony to haunt him for the rest of his life. So he stopped. 

Kokichi gave a plastic sort of smile in return, “Actually… I need to make a call. Y’know important Supreme Leader stuff. Can’t have the world end because I forgot to make a call.”

“Uh-huh.” Shuichi didn’t buy it (He would have been a bit concerned if he had honestly), but he didn’t push it either. “Come find me when you’re done?”

Kokichi bit his lip, this master of charm in the dorky suit Shuichi was going to be the end of him. “So needy. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t”

A strange sort of look passed over the detective's face before he entered the main hall. But he couldn’t worry about what Shuichi was thinking not until got his own mind figured out. He pulled out his phone and opened up his favorites, selecting Sweeper’s number before moving by a potted plant across from the entrance. Hopefully far enough the music wouldn’t make it too hard to hear and off to the side enough, no one would try to eavesdrop. DICE may be dormant for the most part but it was still a secret organization. 

“Why are you calling? Aren’t you supposed to be partying all night boss?” Sweeper answered. Not even bothering with a ‘Hello’, _typical_. He hears a jumbled mess of greetings chime in the background. “You’re on speaker by the way.”   


“No shit,” Kokichi responded. It’s what he expected after all. At least Sweeper was good enough with technology that group calls didn’t end up a whole mess (which was exactly why he picked him). It's more convenient that way anyhow.

“Why are you allowed to swear but I’m not.” He can hear Shamrock whine loudly in the background. 

Kokichi responded, “Because I’m the leader that’s why. He heard some groans and laughs and a few asked how the party was going but before he could come up with a witty answer, Sweeper interrupted. 

“So did you hook up with the detective?” Sweeper asked as if it was a casual normal sort of question to ask. Kokichi swallowed hard, how on earth…   
  
“Excuse me?” He can hear shocked noises from the others, “Did you bug my phone again Sweeper?” He asked menacingly.   


Sweepers voice feigned innocence, giggling could be heard alongside it, “No. How dare you accuse me of something like that? I would never...”

“You did it last month!” Kokichi whispered angrily into the phone. 

“That was just to make sure you didn’t order pineapple on the pizza again. Official group stuff. I would never spy on private matters.”

He chose to ignore the pizza comment. There was no need to reignite that argument with the group right now. “So how did you…”   


“I didn’t actually but now I do.” Smug bastard. He taught him too well. Always get the other person to admit things by acting like you know more than you do. Classic technique. 

“Fuck.” Laughter echoed over the line and Shamrock grumbled once more about double standards. Of course, he had called them for moral support but he wanted to tell the story his way. And here they turned the tables on him. Was he getting boring and predictable? 

Hearts voice came over the phone, “We knew you missed him, Boss. No worries we won’t tease you.”

“Much!” A few voices echoed behind along with more laughter. 

Spider’s soft and calming voice chimed in, “You deserve this. You spent the past couple of years making sure all of us were happy and never did anything for yourself. So stop talking to us and go find him. Have fun.”

“Yeah stop overthinking shit and just have a good fucking time. Get a drink! Relax! Hang out with that detective you used to talk about all the damn time!” Shamrock shouted out. No one even mentioned the jar. 

The others chipped in various agreements and encouragements. Kokichi bit down on his lip. Stupid thoughtful followers. He had just wanted to make sure they were all safe and taken care of. It got too close to them possibly getting caught and ruining their lives that it was only a leader’s responsibility to make sure that didn’t happen. So instead of heists, he set them up in college courses or with online gigs to make money. It had taken just as much planning and cunning as his previous endeavors that he really didn’t think much of it. 

“Ugggghhh…. You guys are the worst. Fine whatever. See you later. Don’t wait up for me.” The goodbyes chimed in and they hung up. Kokichi stared at his phone, a picture of Hearts' last birthday on his lock screen. He looked fondly at all ten of their faces. His family. If they wanted him to let loose and have fun with a certain detective without overthinking it, well he could do that for them. Not that he was following orders. He was the one who gave orders, he was just being a good example for his followers. That’s all.

“What the hell you doing out here Cuck-itchity calling an escort?” A familiar voice called out. Miu wiped her hands on her dress, she must have just washed them. Classy of her to not use a paper towel but he didn’t expect much else. 

“No. I’d be too afraid they’d send you my way.” Kokichi sneered back.

“Hardy har har. Or is it that you are running away so you don’t have to deal with your massive boner for Shyhara?” He glanced around hoping no one heard her stupid remark. This wasn’t high school so being teased about a stupid crush just somehow became exponentially more embarrassing. 

“No. I-- We actually talked and maybe more so shut your whore mouth,” Kokichi responded with a sinister scowl. 

“Yeah?” Miu's eyes widened in surprise. Kokichi rolled his eyes but nodded, “Hell yeah! Get your ass back over to the bar, I’m buying you a drink for that.”

He followed her begrudgingly, another drink sounded like a good idea, “It’s an open bar, we don’t have to pay, is there anything in that ugly head of yours?” Miu ordered a double-shot of vodka for them both. She was trying to kill him clearly. But Heart's voice echoed in his head  _ It’s a party! Have fun!  _ So he took it with a grimace as he did, thankful that Miu knew him well enough to also order sweet fruity soda to chase it with. 

Miu took her shot with an exaggerated ‘Ah’ and asked, “So you gonna seal the deal and finally tap that ass? Or by talking and maybe more did you mean screwing in the bathroom?”   
  
Kokichi glowered in return, narrowing his eyes, and as he expected the blonde cowered in response squeaking out in panic, “Eek sorry… I was just... excited.”

Kokichi wrinkled his nose in displease even though he was completely amused that Miu was still so damn easy to mess with, “Ew quit groveling, don’t ruin my good night like that. We just kissed.” 

He looked around the crowd, searching for Shuichi. He did spot Gonta on the dance floor, easy to spot due to him towering over most everyone else as usual. He looked like the perfect gentlemen as he would expect, maybe he’d go say hi to him later. But that wasn’t who he was looking for right now. Eyes finally caught on that strange orange color and he found him, standing with Kaede, Maki, and Kaito. Miu looked over, watching him like she did one of her inventions, her voice actually kind of soft for once, “So it went well huh?”

“Yeah… it did,” Kokichi muttered in return. 

Miu grinned widely and smacked his arm, “Fuck yeah. Good for you ya little bastard.” 

But before he could ruin their touching moment by coming up with some clever insult, an all too familiar robot dressed in very traditional Japanese clothing approached looking disapprovingly at Miu, “Oh, there you are. I thought you said you would stop drinking.”

“Oh, don’t be such a buzzkill Kiibz. It’s free!!” She held up another drink, one Kokichi had not even noticed her order. Sneaky bitch. 

Kokichi clenched in fists and chimed in after, “Yeah, Kiiboy! Don’t be a buzzkill just because robots can’t get drunk.”

Kiibo sighed, “Kokichi… It’s good to see you. Although I thought you would have grown out of your casual robophobia.” 

Kokichi acted shocked, “Me? Grow up? Never! Don’t you know I drank this special water that means I can’t ever get older so you and me are gonna be stuck together for eternity Kiiboy.”

“So the lying has not stopped either.” Kokichi shook his head laughing and Kiibo shrugged. He really missed messing with Kiibo. Maybe he shouldn’t ignore the group chat so much. Being around Miu and Kiibo again was actually pretty fun after all. 

“Don’t listen to him Kiibz, he’s just being a little bitch because he’s not sucking face with Shittyhara right now.” Miu drawled, ignoring the look Kokichi shot her, as he mentally took back his sentiment of enjoying her company. 

“Oh, are you and Shuichi an item now? I had no idea congratulations!” Kiibo responded brightly and Kokichi could only muster a plastic sort of smile in response as Miu started to laugh so hard he thought she might fall over.

“Nah damn twink can’t seal the deal that’s why he’s over here with me and not hooking up with Sherlock Homo in the bathroom. Or maybe they already did and he couldn’t get it up again. He won’t give me the juicy details.” Miu moaned out. Kiibo called her name disapprovingly which did nothing to quell her drunken laughter. 

“Why would I tell a dirty bitchlet private information like that?” Kokichi responded looking at his nails as if unbothered. 

Miu’s smile curled up wickedly, ”Oh look who it is.” Kokichi looked up quickly and saw Shuichi approaching the bar, looking right at him. He didn’t seem to have minded that Kokichi had not gone and found him like he asked based on the warm smile on his face. And he wasn’t sure if it was that stupid shot or what, but all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss him again. And why shouldn’t he? Right?

He braced himself to be embarrassed by Miu’s drunken antics, but she was already pulling on Kiibo’s arm and moving back into the crowd. She called out, “Have fun” rolling her eyes back into her head and panting suggestively as she did so. Kiibo looking confused at their sudden departure merely waved as he followed Miu onto the dance floor. First DICE, and now Miu of all people… He toyed with the checkered fabric of his tie as he watched Shuichi approach, steeling himself to not back down. To not panic like some love-stricken high schooler. No worrying about tomorrow when he could just enjoy everything about tonight. 

Shuichi wordlessly walked up to the bar, standing next to him, and ordered a drink, another whisky like the one he had brought him earlier. 

“So you found me, detective. Should have known I couldn’t escape the famous Shuichi Saihara.” Kokichi looked up at him as he sipped his drink thoughtfully. 

“Were you trying to escape?” Shuichi’s eyebrows raised. 

Kokichi shrugged, “Not really. I’m too old for elaborate escape attempts now. Might break a hip.” 

“I don’t think being in your 20’s counts as old,” Shuichi responded, sounding a bit bemused. 

Kokichi leaned dramatically against Shuichi, “No! We are practically ancient now Shumai, nearing the grave every second! ” Shuichi laughed and he could feel his chest move under him as he did. Firm and muscular. Whatever this rehab was seemed to have really served him well. 

Shuichi’s free hand slid down his arm and interlaced their fingers together. “I’m pretty sure no one would consider us ancient.” Kokichi blinked rapidly in response, mouth suddenly dry and unable to come up with any sort of witty retort. All he could do was wonder where all this smoothness was coming from and if a person could actually just explode spontaneously because he felt like he might. And when those golden eyes met his, the feelings of panic from earlier seemed to melt away, all he could think about was how much he wanted those eyes to stay on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because you know what this cheesiness needed, more cheesiness+lame humor. And Kokichi just strikes me as the type of guy to just act like he's ancient once he hits 21 so... (even though it's not at all).
> 
> The water joke is a completely out of place Tuck Everlasting reference that I would have never expected to work into a DR fanfic and yet...


	6. glissade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi gets the reassurance he was looking for. 
> 
> (glissade, glisser. to glide.)

Shuichi walked back into the venue. The music was still loud and the crowd still large. The party had not even begun to wane. But he doesn’t pay it too much mind. His thoughts are full of Kokichi. Wondering if he did something wrong. Wondering if he was just going to leave, disappear into the night just like he used to when it was Shuichi the detective chasing Kokichi the thief… But this was different. They were just… them. Two high school friends turned… rivals maybe… turned… something. At least he hoped so. The last two years had been more dealing with his own issues and not so much feeling ready to be in a relationship or anything like that. So the fact that one evening had him wanting that, ready for something like that for the first time in a long time… it felt significant. And if Kokichi just left after all that… he wasn’t sure what he would do. 

“There you are!” Kaede rushed over to where he stood on the edge of the main hall, lost in his own thoughts. Her face was bright pink probably from a combination of dancing and drinks and there was a bright smile on her face. She explained that someone had spilled a drink on Himiko and Kirumi had rushed over after Tenko panicked and stopped her from aikido slamming whoever it was to the ground as only someone like Kirumi could. So her girlfriend was occupied with helping Himiko out in the bathroom while Tenko hovered (at least that's what he assumed she would be doing). 

Kaede smiled brightly after speeding through her tale, “What about you? Where have you been?”

Shuichi held his hands up as if being interrogated (which he would not put past Kaede), “I danced! I promise!”

Kaede’s eyes sparkled, “Oh… I know… I saw you.” 

“Oh um good. I know you’d get on me if I ignored you and didn’t,” Shuichi replied, toeing the ground as he did. 

She laughed brightly, “Yup! Totally would. But no worries. I _definitely_ saw you dancing with Kokichi.”

Shuichi felt his cheeks grow hot under Kaede’s gaze, “Right…”

“So…. are you two like a thing now or… did something happen?” Kaede was bouncing on her feet, he could tell she was holding herself back from gushing or freaking out until she got more information. 

“I… think. Maybe… I hope so? Everything was really nice and then he started acting kinda weird so…” He saw white out of the corner of his eye. Small stature with dark hair and a blonde in a pink dress walking past… so he hadn’t left. There was hope. Maybe. At least he hadn't left. 

Kaede scratched her head, “Weird? I mean it is Kokichi. I can’t imagine he’s changed that much since high school.”

“I guess....” Shuichi frowned, he had lost track of Kokichi and Miu, the crowd of the dance floor blocking his sight. _Was Ouma the same?_ He wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. There was something different about him. Lying and mischievous of course, he liked that at the core of everything Kokichi was still the person he remembered fondly. But he didn’t mind the extra layer of honesty and sincerity he witnessed on the balcony. Like maybe he wasn’t so scared of letting Shuichi in. He hadn’t changed who he was, maybe just grew… got a little bit more complicated over time. Not that he was any different, he was still the same Shuichi Saihara from the days at Hope's Peak, just with a few more layers from the years of experiences that had followed. 

Kaede playfully nudged his shoulder with her own, “Just go talk to him silly. I get that everything is some elaborate game with you two but you can just go and tell him you want something to happen. I mean I assume that’s what you want right?”

“I… yeah… I do. I do want that.” Shuichi nodded and Kaede beamed. He had to try at least. This wasn’t like the days where he was chasing him down for crimes and Kokichi kept slipping through his fingers. This was different. He wouldn’t let him slip away this time. 

Kaede looked away and waved at the couple now approaching them, “Yooo sidekick what is up!?” Kaito called over loudly. Maki was shaking her head. Shuichi could immediately tell that Kaito had without a doubt taken advantage of the open bar. The four of them chatted for a bit, talking about which classmates they had run into and some of the funnier moments from the night. Shuichi decided to save the whole balcony encounter for later. That seemed private… personal… Something he’d rather keep to himself for a while. Maki said she had a bit of a headache and Kaito had offered to take off early with her but they had felt bad since they were Shuichi’s ride and didn’t want to force him to leave early. But before he could even say anything Kaede stepped in. 

“Oh, I’ll make sure he gets home safe!” Kaede beamed, “Cause you totally need to stay Shuichi, _right_?” The forcefulness in her tone was not missed. He expected as much from her. 

“Is something going on?” Maki’s eyes darted between the two of them, head tilted slightly.

“Oh.. nothing. I’ll tell you guys later.” Shuichi smiled, Maki was still giving him a strange look. Kaito seemed utterly oblivious, grinning unknowingly. 

“You better!” Kaito slapped his back a little too hard. Maki shrugged. She was never one to pry and he doubted she wanted to spend that much more time in the loud hall if her head hurt, her loud boyfriend was probably enough to handle. The four of them hugged and said their goodbyes for the night. 

“Okay! Now, what are you going to do?” Kaede put her hands on her hips, leaning over with her cheeks puffed out. Something that should be more cute than menacing but Shuichi knew her too well to know this was a threatening sort of pose. 

He threw his hands up in (somewhat) fake surrender, “I’m going to go talk to Kokichi.” He smiled and Kaede did as well, with a bit of pride. 

“Good. I’m going to go drag my girlfriend back to the dance floor! I’ll see you there!” Kaede pumped her fists, turning away and going off to the bathroom where he assumed the whole fix Himiko’s dress endeavor was going on. 

He began to circle the room, searching, he spotted Kokichi again. He was right back where he found him in the first place. At the bar with Miu, Kiibo had apparently joined them as well. At least it was easy. Even in white, spotting him in this large crowd would have been tricky (Kokichi was sneaky of course, but also just very short and hard to find in a group like this). Taking a deep breath to steady the nerves that had slowly started to creep back in, Shuichi made his way over to the bar. As he did, Miu and Kiibo left, rather conveniently, as he approached. The deep breath hadn’t been entirely enough to brace himself for whatever he needed to do, so he ordered another drink, the cool air had sobered him up a bit so another rush of warm liquid courage couldn't hurt right?

Not a terrible plan, because he doesn’t hesitate when Kokichi starts to tease and joke, to reach down and grab his hand. Fingers interlaced, he could feel how warm the other's hands were. And by the wide-eyed blinking, he was witnessing from Kokichi, Shuichi was pretty sure he surprised him. _Perfect_.

Shuichi watched him carefully, searching for any clues he could get, even if he knew full well how easily Kokichi could hide his emotions, “So you never really answered my question? Were you trying to run away?”

Kokichi tilted his head to the side, “Not really.”

“Hmm… I was just worried I might have scared you off.” Shuichi frowned. 

Kokichi pouted dramatically, teasing “You aren’t _that_ bad of a kisser Shuichi. I don’t know what people have been telling you but they are so cruel!”

Shuichi felt his face grow hot, definitely not just from the whiskey either, “T-t-that’s not what I mean.”

Kokichi sighed, eyes practically sparkling with mischief, “So you’re cocky about your kissing skills then? Such arrogance mister detective I would have never expected that from you.”

“Kokichi…” Shuichi chided and Kokichi laughed loudly in response, squeezing his hand as he did. So even if it was partially at his expense… he didn’t mind so much. 

“Nishishi, still so easy to tease Shuichi. Glad you aren’t just mister smooth operator now. I was worried my innocent and shy detective has become a player since we last saw each other.” Kokichi's lips curled as he spoke.

He choked slightly on his drink, “A p-player?” Shuichi wasn’t sure about that one. More like a recluse in the past two years. He knew his friends were getting a bit concerned about not “putting himself out there” or whatever (mostly Kaito and Kaede) but he’d been working through the whole deal with the shooting and his uncle and before he knew it, two years had passed. 

“You aren’t?” Kokichi responded childishly, “Oh goody, I was worried you made out with people on balconies at every event you went to.”

“Does that really seem like something I would do?” Shuichi asked a bit confused about where Kokichi was going with this. Or maybe he really just found it that funny to tease him. 

Kokichi paused, “Wouldn’t be the first time.” The impish look on his face was slightly terrifying. 

“What?” Shuichi asked, flustered as Kokichi leaned in further. 

Somehow those purple eyes widened even more, “Ooooh? Did you forget? Were you that wasted Shuichi? How embarrassing for you!” 

“What are you--” Shuichi responded, wondering if he was just toying with him, trying to make him embarrassed over some scenario that didn’t exist. But then… it came back. The after graduation party… of course he would bring that up. “ _Oh…_ ”

“So you _do_ remember drunkenly sucking face with Kiiboy!” Kokichi’s other hand moved up and fiddled with the flap of Shuichi’s vest, looking every bit the cat that swallowed the canary as he did. 

“We didn’t… _suck face_ ,” Shuichi muttered, embarrassed at even phrasing it like that. Plus he was a robot so it was… not like that at all. “We kissed on a dare. You kissed Rantaro.” Lots of people kissed people that night. Truth or dare had just reached the point where people were running out of ideas and no one wanted to take up Miu’s constant urging to “up the rating” and make it a little too sexual (they had been drinking but weren’t drunk enough for Miu’s ideas at least) so most of the dares ended up being kissing and sitting on laps after a certain point. Some dares were a little more risque but nothing to the level of what Miu had wanted at least. It had been… something. An awkward and hilarious night fitting of celebrating their graduation from Hope’s Peak Academy. 

“Sure did.” Kokichi raised his eyebrows and continued to fiddle with his vest.

“So… why did you bring that up? That was over 5 years ago.” Shuichi questioned, not sure why it was so relevant to bring up that he and Kiibo had in fact once drunkenly kissed at a party (well Shuichi had been, Kiibo had not been of course- but had claimed that he could imitate being drunk just fine after watching the rest of them in action- admittedly he had done a fine job at it). 

Kokichi’s lips thinned, “Just figured Shuichi got the taste for drunken make-outs at parties and couldn’t stop himself ever since.” Despite it clearly being a joke at his expense, there’s a tightness in Kokichi’s voice that Shuichi can recognize. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who was worried after all. 

“Ah…” So that’s what this was all about. Kokichi tilted his head and the fidgeting on his vest turned more to just a grasp as he froze, waiting for Shuichi to continue. “Did you really think that’s all that was?” He asked softly. 

Kokichi shrugged and looked down, “I dunno. Maybe. It’s been a while, mister detective. I don’t have you all figured out anymore.” 

“You had me all figured out?” Shuichi asked with brows raised. 

“Okay… that was a lie. You always manage to surprise me Shuichi. I like that about you though.” Kokichi pulled slightly on his vest, and Shuichi bowed his head slightly. Kokichi’s face right under his own, now staring up at him, wide-eyed and lips parted. 

“You’re the surprising one…” Shuichi responded in hushed tones, aware that they were still in the crowded hall but at the same time, everything around them had faded into the background. Unimportant and forgotten for now. “And I meant what I said out there… that I was… falling for you.” Saying it the second time was even easier, as silly and sappy as he knew it probably sounded. He meant it. 

The face beneath him smiled. Not one of his cheeky or playful or smug sort of grins that he had seen so often in Kokichi Ouma’s ever-rotating gallery of faces. Just a bright and simple wide smile that he could not help but match. “How embarrassing for you,” Kokichi responded, playful but still smiling between each word. 

“So… were you lying? Do you not feel the same?” Shuichi stared down at him, feeling both terrified and confident all at once. As hard as Kokichi was to read, there was something unnervingly honest about that smile. That couldn’t be a lie. 

There was a pause. Long enough to last forever or float by in the blink of an eye and Kokichi shook his head, pulled tighter on the flap of his vest, and pressed their lips together again. There’s a mix of sweetness and alcohol on them but he doesn’t mind at all. It’s longer than the first time but doesn’t escalate like the second one. On the balcony it felt more like a test, two people just dipping their feet in, exciting and new. But this kiss was a reassurance, constant and affirming. Kokichi pulled back slightly, whispering, his breath warm against his cheek, “Of course I do. I would never lie about that my dearest Shuichi.” 

Kokichi pulled back farther, loosening his grip on his vest softly placing his hand against his chest as he did. And even with the layers, he felt a warmth surge through him, better than alcohol could ever provide. He’s read novels where they talk about how another person could be intoxicating, and now he gets it. But it was a different type of intoxicating, not slow and dulling like alcohol. It was thrilling, like electricity, making him feel more alive, to crave more of this, of him. Dangerous and exciting all at once, it had been so long since he felt so free and unburdened. It was nice. Really nice. It had been over two years since had even dated anyone... to have something so new but yet familiar all at once seemed almost too perfect.

Kokichi pulled his hand free and took a few steps away, and maybe before he would have expected him to leave, to walk away, but he knew somehow it was different. So he was ready when Kokichi held out his hands and demanded “Dance with me!” And for the third time that night, he took them and allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I continued to make Shuichi embarrassingly sappy.


End file.
